LJ Scott runs past a block made by Donavon Clark to help Michigan State beat Oregon on Sept. 12. Credit: Alice Kole/State News
Michigan State was a winner on the football field this year, qualifying for the national playoffs and the Cotton Bowl, writes Michael Dannenberg on Education Reform Now. But MSU is failing its neediest students.
Only three of 20 black males complete a bachelor’s degree in four years. Given six years, almost 82 percent of whites, 66 percent of Latinos and 57 percent of blacks will graduate.
“Florida State, which has a similar average SAT and higher percentage of low-income students and underrepresented minorities compared to Michigan State, has a close to a zero attainment gap between white and underrepresented minority students,” writes Dannenberg.
Michigan State doesn’t have the lowest graduation rate for football players. Among this season’s top-ranked teams, USC is a bit worse and University of North Carolina graduates only 31 percent of football players, according to Ed Central’s Ben Barrett.
Northwestern, Notre Dame and Stanford are at the top.
UNC’s graduation gap is huge: Football players are 57 percentage points less likely to complete a degree than other male students.
By contrast, “Clemson maintained an equally high graduation rate of 79 percent for both its football team and its overall student body.”